


You Make My World Bloom in Color

by alexanderotis47



Series: You Quiet the Voices Inside My Head [1]
Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: M/M, Mental Breakdown, Mental Institutions, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Abuse, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:54:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22216615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexanderotis47/pseuds/alexanderotis47
Summary: This is the sequel to You Quiet the Voices Inside My Head. Tags will be updated every chapter.
Relationships: Kaneki Ken | Sasaki Haise/Nagachika Hideyoshi
Series: You Quiet the Voices Inside My Head [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1599259
Comments: 6
Kudos: 22





	You Make My World Bloom in Color

**Author's Note:**

> Just a clear warning for future chapters, if you are triggered by works containing: mental institution, mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders, etc, mental breakdowns, panic attacks, suicide ideation/attempts, emotional and physically abusive relationships and scenes, rape, etc, this work may not be for you. If you have read my previous story or seen the tags, you should know the things this work may contain. If you think I need to add a tag for whatever reason, please let me know. Other than that, enjoy.

The summery smell of citrus, pine, and something flowery was the first thing that registered to Kaneki upon waking up. The second was the soft whoosh he heard of air escaping someone’s lungs other than his own. Slow and peaceful. Warm. He opened his eyes to see white light filtering through the window, the tiny dust particles floating lazily in the air. His eyes swept over the bed, landing on a certain, spiky-haired sunflower, curled up, slumbering away. The sunlight creating a soft aura around him. The only thing he could see of his beloved sunflower was his hair, eyes, and nose. The rest of his body was nestled in a cocoon of blankets.

Kaneki smiled, feeling his fingers itch to draw. He loved to draw moments like these when it came to his love. Moments of peace. Stillness. Moments where he’s resting his head back, listening to his music, a content, thoughtful look on his face. Moments of excitement. The way his eyes would widen and sparkle. Kaneki liked to think that, just for a moment, sparks of light popped off of his body like electricity popping off of an electrical wire. Moments where Hide simply would not shut up, rambling passionately about a subject Kaneki knew nothing about or perhaps everything about. Kaneki liked to try and pick out a beat from the syllables that rolled off Hide’s tongue. Sometimes there would be one that was fast, hyperactive, Other times it was slow, thoughtful, considerate. Kaneki wondered if Hide was even aware that he did it. After years of darkness, Kaneki was enamored with his personal sun. He loved to bask in Hide’s light. He adored it. 

Instead of succumbing to his urge to draw, Kaneki stifled it by raising up his hand to card his fingers through the fluffy mess that was his love’s hair. Even more tangled from sleep. Hide’s eyes twitched, and a questioning whine bubbled out of his throat as he felt a hand rub his head affectionately. He hoped this was just a sign of affection and not an act trying to get him to get up. He was perfectly content to just lay here until the end of time. He enjoyed the way those always cold fingers gently untangled the disobedient, crazy mess that was his hair. Hide exhaled an enormous sigh and attempted to burrow himself deeper into his pillow, making it very clear he did not have plans on joining the waking world any time soon.

That was fine by Kaneki, who was more than content to watch Hide sleep the day away. He loved the way the warmth coming off of Hide’s scalp slowly warmed up his hand. It was his day off after all, and Kaneki did not leave for work until later on at night. It has been almost a month since they had escaped the Anteiku Health Services Center. Though their quality of living wasn’t all that glamorous (at least to what an average member of society may think), it was better than what Kaneki had for a very long time.  
It had been six years since Kaneki had been at the mental hospital. Six years of eating the same hospital food (which had its moments of being good). Six years of being in a room by himself, unable to socialize with people. Only having his drawings to keep him company and the small talk the staff members within his room would try to strike up in an attempt to fend off awkward silences. Six years of wearing the same hospital pajamas. Six years of reading the same books (except for the times when Irimi brought him new books, but he would usually be done with them on the same day). Six years of watching other patients coming and going, knowing that he wouldn’t be going anywhere. He was ‘insane.’ He had no family to go back to. He was stuck there with no idea how he would even rehabilitate in society if they ever decided to let him go.  
Their belongings were meager, but a lot more than what they had in the hospital. Hide only broke into his parent’s house once. He was too nervous yet about doing it multiple times to save what little of his possessions were still left. His parents sold a lot of his belongings during his stay in the hospital. Within a few hours of their escape from the hospital, police cars were zooming all over the city. Their faces were on every news station, and what they had to say wasn’t all that positive either. Nothing ever was when it came to patients in a mental hospital.

Kaneki was labeled a schizophrenic, and like all mental illnesses, it carried a stigma. However, schizophrenia, in particular, always had a lot, more negative connotations than other ones. When people heard the word schizophrenia, they thought of someone who heard voices in their heads telling them to kill people. A criminal. A psychopath. Someone totally, bat shit, insane. That wasn’t to say that that information was false. Some schizophrenics do have voices in their heads telling them to kill people, but with treatment, those voices could be lulled and silenced. Not everyone with schizophrenia was the criminal that the media painted them as. Every mental illness had its complexities, and everyone presented a different cocktail of symptoms. People knew of Kaneki’s case. Even though his information was supposed to be confidential, there were always people who would blab. They knew what he did to Jason when the police found him that night. They may not know the extent of his mental illness, but they knew he was ‘bat shit crazy’ just because of what he did.

While Hide didn’t have the same diagnosis as Kaneki, he was still a part of the population of ‘the disturbed.’ That meant he was also viewed in a negative light. Especially since they were mental institution escapees. His parents were also well known in the community, and God only knows what kind of shit they were spreading around about their ‘troubled child.’ If you asked Hide, they were probably using this situation to get sympathy from people. Hide was also associated with ‘the insane, long-term patient Kaneki Ken,’ so his image was even more tarnished. The fact that they were even able to escape the mental institution would probably cause some people to view them as dangerous. It wasn’t necessarily an easy feat to accomplish with all the security cameras, locked doors, and people around. It meant that they were smart, although if Nishiki was around to put in his two cents, he would prefer the word ‘dumb shits’ to describe the pair. A lot of people within the hospital would probably side with Nishiki in saying that that was a dumb shit move. Albeit a dumb shit move that succeeded the first time, but still a dumb shit move considering if they were captured again that they would have special precautions placed on them. They would never be able to leave again.

Sneaking their way to Helter Skelter was beyond nerve-wracking for both of them, but Hide proved to be quite adept in sneaking around the city. He had learned the spots the cops usually lurked and places that they often didn’t when he was young. He had to learn these things when he was out with friends or by his lonesome to avoid getting in trouble. There were quite a few close calls making their way to Itori’s bar, especially when the two of them realized how out of shape they really were since being confined within the hospital. But they made it. Breathless and exhausted enough to sleep for days after the tension finally left their bodies.

Then they got to meet Uta’s friend, Itori. She was a woman that always had a sly, mischievous smile on her face. It was like she always knew something that you didn’t, and it sent some alarm bells off in Hide. However, those alarms were not necessarily loud. It was easy to ignore, but they were always there in the background. Hide hated feeling like he was being kept in the dark about something, and that smile always gave him that feeling. There was something more to her that Hide just couldn’t put his finger on. Kaneki, meanwhile, was too overjoyed at finally being free that he was willing to ignore any gut feelings if it meant being able to stay out of the mental hospital.

Uta and Itori set them up in an apartment that was rundown, fairly recluse, and cramped. It quickly became homey though with Kaneki’s drawings and Hide’s little touch-ups here and there. A vase of flowers here, a bright blanket or throw pillows there, a small stereo to liven up the atmosphere with music. Soon there was a small collection of books growing and spilling into other rooms as well.

It wasn’t free by any means, though. Itori said that she needed information, which was where Hide came in. With his ability to run around the city without detection, his observation skills, high intellect, and deduction skills, Uta thought he would be perfect to act as Itori’s information gatherer. While Hide played detective, Kaneki attempted to sell his drawings and worked as a stripper in Itori’s bar. It took a bit of work on Kaneki’s part to learn how to move seductively, but once he got the hang of it, he became quite the natural. Sometimes it made Hide jealous. Not because of the attention Kaneki got from the local horn dogs, but because if Hide moved the way he did, he’d surely break something. Especially when it came to being on a pole. Hide actually tried when Kaneki was practicing and nearly busted his head open as a result, which would’ve been very, very bad. They had to be careful. Not only with their appearances but also their health because one ER visit could send them right back to the institution they ran from. Any wrong move could spell trouble for the two of them.

When it came to Kaneki stripping, Hide wasn’t jealous of the way men and even women would look at him. He was confident that Kaneki would always come back to him. That didn’t mean Hide still kept his eyes on Kaneki because of how creepy people could get with a few drinks in them. Kaneki was okay with people looking, but he panicked when people got too touchy with him, a result of the abuse he suffered at the hands of Jason. At least that’s what Hide deduced it was from, especially when Kaneki shied away from his own touch on more than one occasion.

The two of them have created two different identities. In public, Kaneki was known as Haise Sasaki. They had dyed his hair in such a way that resembled Hide’s, except he still had white hair, just dark roots. They also cut his hair so that it was shorter and made it curlier than his usual straight or fluffy white hair. Meanwhile, Hide took on two different names, depending on the situation. If Hide was on the job, his name was Scarecrow, and he took to wearing a full or half mask when snooping around the city. His mask choice depended on how much risk he was going to be under. Also, how hot it was going to be. If he was under considerable risk, Hide wore his full mask, created by Uta himself, back at the hospital. This mask consisted of a potato sack that had a henohenomoheji face drawn on it. As far as half masks went, Hide had numerous types. Sometimes he’d just wrap a scarf over the lower half of his face; other times, he’d wear a mask with a bear face on it. Or a smiley face (he used this one in daylight rather than at night because of the white background it had so that he would draw less attention to himself). He even had one decorated with sunflowers.

Hide’s second name was Youko, and he took on Kaneki’s last name. This name meant sun child, and it was used when he was out in public. Since he happened to love his hair the way it was (especially since it sort of matched Kaneki’s now), Hide took to wearing a spikey black wig out in public. He took it one step further to wear colored contact lenses that turned his eyes a light gray like Kaneki’s and even added a small forehead scar to the upper left side of his forehead.

When it came to their disguises, Hide took more liberty to change his features more than Kaneki because one, he liked being in disguise, and two, he was a bit more paranoid about being recognized. Kaneki was sort of on Cloud Nine at the moment from their escape and was a bit more naïve and took more risks. It had been such a long time since he was out in society, and he was excited by this new freedom. He wanted to do everything, like go to the bookstore, go get ice cream, mess around on the local playground. While these things were relatively low risk and fun, Hide wished to stay inside more often than not. Especially when there were more police roaming around the area. It’s like they had become polar opposites since escaping from the hospital.

Of course, this provoked more than a few bickering fits between the two of them. It’s not like Hide didn’t want to go out with Kaneki. He loved the idea of finally being able to take his love out on dates, like to a café or a restaurant of some sort. He loved seeing Kaneki so happy and excited at being free to do whatever he wanted. He just didn’t want that to go to the other’s head and end up saying or doing something that would get them found out.

Of course, during some of their fights, Kaneki would pull the whole ‘well fine I’ll just go by myself then’ card which would always spike Hide’s anxiety. It’s not like Hide was trying to be controlling, although a lot of people would argue that his behavior was veering on controlling behavior. He just worried about Kaneki a lot and preferred that when Kaneki was out in public, Hide was there too. They were safer together because if something suspicious happened, they were more apt to pick up on it than relying on just their own senses. Hide felt that it was too soon after the escape for the two of them to be wandering off without the other. When it came to Hide’s special excursions, he fell into the habit of texting Kaneki (through an untraceable phone provided by Uta) every half hour to hour to let him know where he was. If he didn’t text within that time frame, then Kaneki could assume something bad happened.

Eventually, Kaneki was forced to join the waking world because of his bladder and the growing emptiness in his stomach that only food could satisfy. With great reluctance, he slowly removed his hand from Hide’s hair and carefully extracted himself from their bed to avoid waking the other. Once he was sure Hide was still sleeping peacefully, Kaneki took care of his bladder and went to the small kitchenette to look for something to make for the two of them. What met his eyes was a lone box of pancake mix, a box of crackers with one sleeve of crackers in it, and an almost empty bag of chips with a couple granola bars on the side of it. There was also half a container left of coffee, thank God. Hide couldn’t function without his coffee. They were going to have to go shopping later, for sure.

Kaneki walked to the cheap little fridge they had and looked inside of it to find half a jug of milk, half a carton of eggs, and nearly a full bottle of maple syrup. Kaneki also found a container of bacon. Okay, so pancakes with a side of eggs and bacon was the go-to breakfast/lunch of the day. No problem. As Kaneki went about making their breakfast, the sunshine man slowly made his appearance at the smell of food. However, Hide had a hard time opening his eyes, which caused him to stub his toe on one of their dining room chairs. That is if you could call it a dining room. Hide unleashed a pathetic little whine before curling up on the floor, his head on his knees like he just gave up on adulting today.

“Awww, did the chair bully you again, my little sunshine?” Kaneki cooed as he looked at the defeated and tired Hide on the floor.

Hide nodded his head, his eyes still closed.

“How rude of it,” Kaneki sympathized as he walked over to Hide and held out his arms, “Come on, stand up. I know that if I let you sit there, you’re going to fall back asleep and complain that your back hurts like you’re a 70-year-old man.”

Hide whined again.

“Don’t you back sass me, young man, or I won’t make you coffee,” Kaneki threatened as he helped Hide off the floor and guided him to sit on the chair.

“You know, it’s hard to believe you survived all of these years without me. I have watched you nearly trip and face plant so many times in the mornings since we got here that it seems nearly impossible that you were capable of taking care of yourself beforehand,” Kaneki commented as he went towards the coffee pot to make his sunshine the fuel he needed to wake up.

Hide whined out some sort of incoherent response in retaliation before resting his head on the small table in front of him. Kaneki rolled his eyes, continuing to make breakfast and coffee. In a few minutes, Kaneki had set a mug of coffee in front of Hide and used both of his hands to rub the fluffy mess that was Hide’s hair.

“Wake up, sunshine! Dawn was hours ago! You’re snoozing on the job,” Kaneki commented, continuing his ministrations until Hide had lifted his head and opened his eyes a little bit to stare blankly ahead of him.

“Coffee,” Kaneki stated, pointing down at the mug. Hide looked down, grunting out a response before slowly grabbing the cup and taking a few, slow, sips. Kaneki left, knowing it was going to take quite a few mouthfuls before he would be able to extract any sort of conversation out of the other.

By the time Kaneki was plating their breakfast, Hide’s eyes were fully opened, and he looked a lot more alert. Kaneki always found it fascinating to watch Hide slowly wake up. It was like watching the sunrise over the horizon early in the morning. As time passed, Hide seemed to glow more and more like the sun becoming warmer and more energized as the day went on in the summer.

“Thank you,” Hide yawned, his voice hoarse with sleep still as Kaneki set one of the plates down in front of him before taking his own and sitting across from him.

“You’re welcome. Is your foot feeling better?”

“It’s fine. Why do you ask?” Hide asked, staring at Kaneki blankly.

“You hit it on the chair earlier as you were walking into the room,” Kaneki explained.

“I did? I don’t remember that,” Hide blinked.

“Yeah. Being the ultra manly man you were, you let out an oh so manly whine before proceeding to sit on the floor pouting like an oversized toddler,” Kaneki stated before popping a piece of pancake in his mouth.

Hide shrugged, “Yeah, that sounds like me, but Karen started it.”

“We’re naming the chair Karen now?”

“Would you rather we name it something else?”

“No. Karen is fine, but you do realize we’re going to have to name the rest of the objects in the house, so they don’t get jealous, right?”

Hide paused midchew, his eyes wide as if such an idea had never crossed his mind at all. Then he looked at the coffee pot before stating, “Nishiki.”

“Why is the coffee pot Nishiki?”

“Because all it produces is something bitter and dark like Nishiki and his shit personality and humor.”

Kaneki laughed, “Aw, come on, you know you miss him.”

“He doesn’t need to know that.”

“Okay, then what would Tsukiyama be?” Kaneki asked.

Hide paused, taking a moment to look around the room before his eyes landed on the clock mounted on the wall. Then he pointed at it.

“I say we should name the clock Shuu because it makes that annoying ticking sound when things are too quiet, and Shuu was always annoying. He could never keep his mouth shut.”

“He wasn’t that annoying,” Kaneki smiled.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Hide smiled back.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Hide broke the silence with, “Do you ever find yourself missing them sometimes?”

“Everyone else at the hospital? Sometimes. I think they have good chances of getting out one day, though. They have families to go back to. People to help them get back on their feet. Not like I had. I would’ve been stuck there forever. I think we’ll see them all again one day,” Kaneki stated.

“Yeah. Though I can see Touka and Nishiki kicking our asses because of how dumb we were being. Tsukiyama and Karren would probably just lecture us. Yoriko will probably lecture at us and then cry about how much she missed us or something, “Hide commented.

Then they were plunged into their own thoughts again. The only sounds they heard were the small clinking sounds of silverware on plates and that annoying ticking sound the clock made.

Then Kaneki took a breath and decided to take a step further, “Hey Hide, do you ever regret not staying?”

“What do you mean?” Hide huffed out, laughing a little at such an absurd question. Obviously, if he wanted to stay, he would’ve stayed, right?

“I mean, staying to complete your treatment. I think if circumstances were different, you would’ve had a good chance at recovery. I know the hospital wasn’t the best place there ever was, but a lot of staff members have helped me over the years. If things were different and the thing with Jason didn’t happen, would you have stayed to complete your treatment?”

Hide hummed, staying silent for several moments. Kaneki could see he was in deep thought over his question.

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. That’s kind of a huge question,” Kaneki said, veering towards an apology.

“Nah, don’t worry about it. I haven’t actually thought about it before,” Hide admitted as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.

“I don’t really know. I guess a lot of people get a lot of help just by talking it out and having a magic pill, but I never figured I would be one of those people. Talking to Marude didn’t do jack for me, and we both know how that magical antidepressant worked for me,” Hide shrugged before continuing, “Besides, if I recovered, that would mean I would have to leave you behind. I wouldn’t like that. Especially with Jason, the psychopath there.”

“That is a fair statement,” Kaneki nodded, remembering how much he wanted to give up once they started the first round of pills on him. The side effects were so unbearable. There were days where he thought he would be better off without them, but eventually, they found something that worked reasonably well. Then he met Hide, and that seemed to be the perfect combination he needed to be functioning.

“Though to be fair, a lot of people just have to keep with it to find the right treatment for them. It takes quite a long time for people to find the right medication for them if therapy doesn’t quite do it for them,” Kaneki stated as he walked over to grab Hide’s plate so he could wash their dishes. Hide stood up and grabbed a dish towel to dry the dishes while Kaneki washed them.

Hide hummed in thought before asking, “Do you feel guilty about it? Like you were possibly taking me away from something that could’ve helped me? Cuz, I don’t regret running off with you. Even if they had some fantastic drugs that would make me feel normal, I still wouldn’t go back there. You’re all I need.”  
Kaneki sighed, “As how adorable and nice that makes me feel Hide, you were there for a reason. Same as me, only I had the benefit of staying there long enough to get a few years of therapy and medication. I’m not saying you didn’t as well, but…well, I feel bad about the possibility that you lost out on something that could’ve help you. I know the psych ward isn’t all rainbows and sunshine, but sometimes people have to go there to recover and get better.”

“I am better,” Hide said with a beaming smile, “I have a lovely boyfriend. I’m on antidepressants, we have a roof over our heads, and we both have jobs. Everything is fine.”  
Kaneki looked over at Hide, his lips pursed. There were days in the psych ward where he was in his own little, hellish world, but it’s not like he didn’t see or understand things. He knew that one shouldn’t rely on life going great as a sign that they were magically cured of their ailments because life had its ups and downs. Sure, some mental illnesses were situational and got better when the patient was away from their environment. Some illnesses ran deeper, though, and were a product of abuse or trauma that happened in the person’s life that they still needed to work through. These illnesses can be exacerbated by life, taking a turn for the worst.

Kaneki didn’t know what Hide discussed with his counselor while they were at the psych ward. He only knew based on what Hide told him, and from what Hide told him, he viewed the sessions as a load of crap. Kaneki didn’t know just how much progress Hide made in dealing with his own issues, but he assumed that it was very little based on his attitude towards it. Sure, it wasn’t like Kaneki was one to talk. It’s not like he was the healthiest individual on the planet, but compared to Hide, he had dealt with some of his past issues. He had medication to keep him stable.

“Alright, then. If you’re sure,” Kaneki stated, deciding he would drop the issue for now. Maybe it would be okay. Perhaps it wouldn’t be okay. Kaneki didn’t know, but what he did know was that Hide did still have skeletons in his closet. Ever since Kaneki came back from the hospital after Jason attacked him, he noticed how clingy Hide had gotten. He also noticed how prone to nightmares Hide was about losing Kaneki. As much as Kaneki adored Hide, he was concerned about his clinginess becoming an unhealthy habit.  
He knew he had to be cautious wandering around so soon after their escape. He had to agree that he felt a lot better having Hide alongside him during their outside excursions so that they could keep a lookout for police or other suspicious people who may turn them in. He understood sometimes he could get carried away due to the excitement of being out and about in society again, but it felt like Hide was going too far sometimes with needing to be around him all the time.

He tried to take a trip to the grocery store by himself one time just to get a couple things like bread and milk. Hide was asleep at the time. The grocery store wasn’t that far away from their living quarters, and he didn’t think it would be a big deal. It was just a quick run. He’d be back before Hide woke up.

Wrong. While Kaneki was in line at the check-out, Hide proceeded to blow up his phone with texts and calls. As Kaneki left the check-out lane with his grocery bags and finally picked up the phone, Hide was a panicked mess over the phone. When Kaneki said panicked, he meant that the blonde was having a massive panic attack over the phone, wondering where Kaneki was. Okay. Yes, Kaneki should’ve probably let him know where he was going, but he didn’t want to wake up Hide from a peaceful slumber. Even so, he was surprised and concerned with Hide’s reaction. He thought Hide knew better than to think he’d wander too far without him. He thought the grocery store was a short enough distance away that it wouldn’t matter, but apparently, he was wrong.

This event fueled Hide’s clinginess to the point where the other hadn’t slept well for days afterward in fear that Kaneki would leave, and he wouldn’t know. Anytime Kaneki put on a sweater, a jacket, anything that could make it seem like he was leaving, Hide was right there asking him if he was going somewhere. Asking if he could come along, even though Kaneki knew Hide didn’t mean it to be a question. It was like after the hospital incident. Hide became more anxious over everything.  
He was not only anxious about Kaneki leaving but also paranoid about people figuring out their true identities. There were times when they were out in public that Hide couldn’t sit still, couldn’t stop looking around at their surroundings, or staring at one certain person because ‘they looked suspicious.’ Hide became paranoid about going to places that were farther away from their home and expressed a huge desire to stay home instead. This, in turn, led to Kaneki staying home with him because he knew it was going to be next to impossible to win against Hide’s anxiety enough to go out to wherever it is that he wanted to go to.

That wasn’t to say Hide was becoming a controlling and awful person. Kaneki didn’t think that at all. He knew everyone had behaviors that, when left unchecked, could flourish into abusive, controlling behavior. It was human to screw up sometimes and to have flaws. In a healthy relationship, a partner should feel safe in expressing to their partner or the other party that their behavior is bothering them or it’s veering on abusive territory. That other party would hear the person out, acknowledge their behavior and how that made their partner or friend feel, and attempt to change it. That, or express a desire to change it. In an unhealthy relationship, the partner doesn’t feel safe expressing the behavior that another person is doing that is bothering them. In times that they do, the abusive partner or friend doesn’t acknowledge or hear them out. They believe that they are doing nothing wrong and refuse to change their behavior.

Kaneki had expressed his concern to Hide about his clinginess a few days after the grocery trip incident. Hide seemed to acknowledge his behavior, but Kaneki also noticed some hesitancy on his part to want to change it. That wasn’t to say Hide was becoming an abusive person. However, it meant the possibility was open that his behavior could veer towards becoming controlling. It was something Kaneki had to watch for, and it was a flaw that Hide needed to fix. This was something Kaneki learned in his counseling sessions to look out for in people when his trust in others was destroyed.

One day Hide would have to face the demons he had head-on, but right now, Kaneki could see he was in no state to do so. That didn’t mean Kaneki wouldn’t try to talk to him about it or ask him about possibly trying to see if he could speak with Uta about it. I mean, Uta may be specialized in art therapy, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t help Hide somehow. He was the best person for the job, in Kaneki’s eyes anyway. He’d get Hide to think about it from time to time, but he wouldn’t push him into it. Forcing people into things when they weren’t ready was never the best solution. It was always better to give them little nudges in the right direction. All Kaneki could do now was to try and compromise with Hide and keep an eye on him.

**Author's Note:**

> (Hi guys! I know I said I would get the sequel together in September and now we’re into next year! Whoops. Sorry. Life got a little hectic and it’s getting a little more hectic because my dumb ass decided ‘Jee it would be fun to major in neuroscience to’ so…I get to go to school for another year! Yay me! I am also doing stuff with virtual reality and programming…possibly…so yeah. Fun. Least to say I am excited to be back in this universe I created. I missed it a lot. I can’t guarantee consistent and frequent updates though because like I said, this sequel is going to dive into things that I have never tried to write before. A lot of research will have to be done and that takes time. On top of college crap and work to.
> 
> Either way, I hope you guys like the chapter. I know it is shorter than what I usually write but I figured that this would be a perfect introduction before we dive into the hardcore stuff. I plan on diving more into Hide and his denial with his inner demons as well as introducing you guys to Kaneki’s past because we only explored Hide’s so far. I’m hoping that this sequel will be more ‘realistic’ as the two come down from their ‘puppy love’ phase where everything is great and grand. In reality, though, relationships are not all rainbows and happiness. There is conflict and you need to put in effort to get things to work.
> 
> As for what my research will be on…well it deals with what Hide is investigating. I can’t reveal too much on it because that would be spoiling it all. Tags will be added as I update with chapters because while I’m certain of my outline…things can happen so yeah. Thanks for waiting for me! Sorry it took so damn long!)


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